Jenna Ellis: We would like to take a moment to thank our sponsor, PreBorn. When a mother meets her baby on ultrasound and hears their heartbeat, it's a divine connection. And the majority of the time, she will choose life. But she can't do it without our help. Preborn needs us, the pro life community, to come alongside her. One ultrasound is just $28, and to donate, dial #250 and say the keyword baby or visit preborn.com afr Jenna Ellis in the morning on American Family.
Jenna Ellis: I love talking about the things of God. Because of truth and the biblical worldview. The U.S. constitution obligates our government to preserve and protect the rights that our founders recognize come from God, our Creator, not our government. I believe that scripture in the Bible is very clear that God is the one that raised up each of you, and God has allowed us to be brought here to this specific moment in time.
Radio Announcer: Now here's guest host Alex McFarland.
Alex McFarland: He who dwells in the shelter of the most high will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust. That's Psalm, 911 2. And with that verse from God's Word, I welcome you this morning to Jenna Ellis, the Jenna Ellis in the Morning Show. My name is Alex McFarland. What a great honor to sit in for Jenna, if you recognize my voice or my name, it might be from a show called Exploring the Word, which we have the great privilege of doing every, afternoon at 3p central, 4pm eastern, and, all across America. And so it's a great day. We have what I think is a pretty exciting show. Later on in the show, we're going to visit with Joseph Kerr of the White House Press The Core. And among the questions that I want to ask Joe Kerr is, what about the news? Should the average American viewer know that? Maybe they don't know. I mean, there's so much going on. The war in Iran and then the rise of China and the, the question of dominance for not only things like AI, but intel, military preparedness, China and their, fraternizing with Russia versus America, and, so many things. And we'll ask Joe Kerr of the White House Press The Core later on in the program. But right now I've got a colleague and friend that I want you to meet who's making a documentary. well, the documentary releases this week, actually September 24, called can youn Hear Me Now? And Matt Thayer, got what I'm pretty sure is the last on camera interview with Charlie Kirk. Now, some of you may remember we do a speaker series called Conversations that matter, Biblical worldview. Even before I was doing Exploring the Word, and we've done that show for 16 years on the American Family Radio Network. I was traveling the country and still am organiz apologetics and Biblical Worldview conferences. And we've done conferences in about 51American cities. Praise God. but we, did an event in the end of summer, early fall of 25, with Charlie Kirk, as many of you may remember. And we had about 3,000 people come from 17 US states. And we've talked about it many times on air. I won't rehash all that. Now, Charlie came and, it was a great event. he spoke, he did Q and A. The thing that was a little unsettling about it was Charlie had said to me backstage, and then he said it on stage. He said, if somebody kills me, we can't be silent. and backstage, Charlie Kirk had been saying that he felt like his life was in danger. And we prayed together, a number of times. And I had said to Charlie Kirk, you know, God, we've got to pray for your safety. And Charlie looked at me and he said, I don't think I'm going to die of old age. Two weeks later, two weeks later, on that fateful day that the entire world knows about in Utah, Charlie was, tragically assassinated. Well, Matthew Thayer is a filmmaker, a talented, Christian filmmaker. And that like the. I think it was exactly the day after Charlie Kirk spoke for my conference in, South Carolina. Charlie, Kirk and Matt Thayer sat down in front of the cameras for, for a filmed interview that of course, would, as far as we know, be the last on camera interview he would do. Matt Thayer is with us and his documentary releases September 24th. It's called can you hear me now? It's not only about Charlie, but really about the authority of God's word and talking about listening, to not only the word of God, but, the church of God, because, if ever a generation needed the gospel and the biblical worldview, it is this generation. But he's made time to be with us now. Matt, are you there? Alex, good morning. Good morning. Thank you. I've got to ask, what time zone are you in, Matt?
Matt Thayer: Central.
Alex McFarland: Central. Oh, well, it's not so bad. Yeah, it's time to be up and about.
Matt Thayer: Yeah, I got my coffee.
Alex McFarland: There you go. That's why the good Lord invented coffee. Yeah. we almost Had a guest from Hawaii this morning, but that would have been about 3:00am So I, I gave him a pass. But it's great to have you on, Matt. And, you know, a few days ago, you and I were in a conference in Colorado. You and I were on stage doing kind of a Q and A, and we got a lot of really great feedback about that. before we get into the documentary. Can you hear me now? just give people kind of a snapshot about the work that, you and your wife do and your filmmaking.
Matt Thayer: Yeah, yeah. So for the past few years, we've been primarily doing documentaries. we are also doing, you know, a lot of scripted stuff. And I've had a lot of experience over the last 20 years doing a lot of commercial projects and short films and things like that. but some of the documentaries that people might know that I've done, the Trump I know we did in 2020, where we interviewed a lot of mostly women around Trump, ah, getting inside track of who he is as a person. and that's available on amaz. and then also done some other documentaries, and done actually seven documentaries in the last six years, which is kind of a pretty heavy pace. but, some of them, the Enemy within, we did, talking about the weaponization of government. That's, a series on Amazon. And then we also, additionally, also the day after this documentary that you're talking about releases, the story of Nick Vujicic, who's a motivational speaker evangelist. his life story, which I also directed, is going to be coming out in theaters. so, yeah, it's been kind of a busy few months for us.
Alex McFarland: Yeah. And we, At nrb, back in February, we interviewed Nick and, hey, say a word about that, because that's quite an inspiring story. he was born without legs, and yet is an incredible evangelist for the gospel. And, How did you get into that project, Matt?
Matt Thayer: Yeah, he has no arms and legs. I mean, it's crazy. I keep telling him that, you know, he needs to, be the black knight from Monty Python for Halloween. You know what I mean? Because he'd be perfect. You know, it's only a flesh wound. but anyway.
Alex McFarland: Yeah, I remember that reference.
Matt Thayer: Yeah, but anyway. But he, Yeah, he's just an extraordinary human being and, we really love that story because, you know, he was born that way. And that's what's so remarkable about him, is that he didn't lose his limbs in some sort of military combat Thing or something like that and have to get used to it. I mean, he was born that way. And so with that, you know, you can imagine, you know, a lot of bullying happened, as he was growing up. He dealt with suicide issues, things like that. But then, of course, now, I mean, you know, 43 years later, he's, you know, probably touched about, you know, probably about a billion people, that they count with his message of, hope and inspiration and, you know, just basically anything's possible. And, so it's a really inspiring story, and we really were touched by it because we raised a disabled son, for almost 21 years. He passed, in 2019 due to complications of his syndrome. But, you know, my wife raised him. He was my stepson. Came into his life when he was about seven, and just took him on. And, you know, what I challenge people, especially in kind of like the pro life movement, is that there's a lot of, you know, especially now, you know, in Canada with the, you know, assisted suicide stuff and everything else in euthanasia and, even after birth abortions, you know, really challenging people that. Because one of the things about Nick's story was that his mom just championed him, despite some of her misgivings when he was born, just going like, oh, Lord, what happened? But she became a different person. She became somebody who raised a world changer despite his disabilities. And that's one of the things that I challenge people, is that when we reduce human life to something that's an inconvenience, we actually, withhold from the world who we can become in raising these world changers, you know, and so we need to really take a hard look at, you know, the sanctity of human life, regardless of how it shows up and what package it's wrapped in
Alex McFarland: it, you know, Matt, I became a Christian when I was in college, and the church that I, found Christ through, Macedonia Baptist Church, near Greensboro, North Carolina. at the time that I became a believer, there was about a, two or three year old little boy born without arms. And many listeners will know him. His name is Daniel Ritchie. Daniel has become quite an evangelist. But, you know, growing up, he just was, the little boy in the neighborhood with no arms. And yet Daniel, much like Nick Vojovic, has become this champion for life, that the quality of life is not measured by, how ambulatory we may or may not be or how convenient things may or may not be. Daniel, I have ridden in the car with him driving. He drives with his feet. I've ridden with him. He was in my first book, ah, Stand. And he's now a world traveling evangelist. But, it's the biblical worldview that life is sacred in every context. And I think that's a message this generation needs to hear.
Matt Thayer: So if anybody wants to go and see it, it's going to be in theaters. there's going to be 600 theaters. They're opening up this weekend on the 25th. and we're encouraging everybody to go see it in the theaters because if 65% of the theaters can be filled, they're going to, you know, expand the release hopefully into the next coming weeks in October. And so we were just really encouraging everybody to go see it and take your kids. one of the things that's been remarkable about that one and the test screenings is how many young people, you know, early, you know, late teens coming up to us and saying how inspiring his story is to them. And I just, I kind of just really love that that demographic is really latching onto this story.
Alex McFarland: Amen. Amen. the website let me give this speropictures.com and that's spelled S P E R O pictures.com to learn about what Matt Thayer and his team are doing. So tell me a little bit and we'll have to come back after the break. Can you hear me now? Which features your. I really would, I don't think I'm overstating it. Historic film footage of Charlie Kirk and more. But what's the premise of can you hear me now Matt?
Matt Thayer: Well, the purpose of can you hear me now? Is really talking about modern day prophecy and really taking a different look at it, you know, through a different lens. You know, there's two camp that doesn't exist today or people that just kind of accepted wholesale. And you know, I've tried to take an investigative approach to it and also how it cossacks with, you know, our American politics. Because, you know, if God is king, if Jesus is king, then you know, he wants, you know, good societies, he wants good nations. And we have a really remarkable one here. And so we reached out to Charlie, in this documentary to talk about the separation of church and state and Christian nationalism. All the things that he was so eloquent at, exposing and talking about. And so we sat down with him two weeks prior to his death, which was just kind of a crazy thing. And it really kind of altered the way that we were approaching the documentary. But like you said, I think this is probably the last unseen interview, with Charlie Kirk. And he had some really surprising things to say. Not only about the things that we actually interviewed him for, but also about prophecy and the nature of prophecy and how we should approach it.
Alex McFarland: and where may people see can you Hear Me Now?
Matt Thayer: So it's gonna be released this Thursday, on Salem now, SalemNow.com you go to SalemNow.com right now and pre order it. If you pre order it, you get a free dvd. we also are creating a discussion guide for anybody that wants to do a watch party. and you know, so SalemNow.com is where you can go to find it and pre order it right now. And then in four weeks, you know, we'll be releasing it, sometime in late October. October, we'll be releasing it wider on Amazon, Apple and Google and all of those places.
Alex McFarland: Matt, do you see your, your skill as a filmmaker? And I've looked at so much of your stuff. I mean it really is creative, really world class, aesthetics. And we'll probably have to pick this up after this brief break, but do you see your, your filmmaking as part of your service to Jesus and contributions to the gospel? I'm sure you do. we've got to take a break. I didn't realize we were so much up on this break. Give us your website, Matt, and we're going to come back and Talk further
Matt Thayer: at spiropictures.com, s p e r o
Alex McFarland: pictures.com Alex McFarland here sitting in for Jenna Ellis. Jenna Ellis in the Morning on the American Family Radio Network. Thanks for listening. A brief break and more after this. Stay tuned.
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Alex McFarland: Welcome back to the program. Alex McFarland here we're talking with documentary filmmaker Matt Thayer, who is, ah, not only a colleague in the Gospel, but has become a friend. And September 24th, can you hear me now? Which includes, we believe, I think pretty historic footage of Charlie Kirk just days before he was sadly killed. But Matt, by the way, welcome back thank you for being with us on the American Family Radio Network.
Matt Thayer: Absolutely. Absolutely.
Alex McFarland: And, you know, before the break, I was going to kind of queue up this question. serving Christ by creating excellent digital content. I think you're an evangelist, really, and, you do that with, cameras and content. tell me how your biblical worldview factors in to what you create.
Matt Thayer: Yeah, absolutely. so, you know, I'm a filmmaker that's a Christian, and I think that there needs to be more of that. I think that, you know, Christian, films is kind of a weird term, because, you know, a film can't be saved. But, the people that are making that can bring their worldview into what they make. And so everything that we do usually has some sort of touch point, with faith, but we strive to make it organically a part of the story. and, years ago, the Lord called me into media, into storytelling, and really trying to approach it from that standpoint of just being like, I'm just interested in any good story. and I usually always find some sort of glimmer of the gospel in it. But also, when it comes to documentaries, it was not something that I really set out to want to do. Documentaries 20 years ago was kind of a nerdy thing. It was just like, you know, people would be like, oh, yeah, I have a brother who's into documentaries, but now everybody loves documentaries. but I always wanted to make TV shows and movies. But I felt like the Lord about, you know, seven years ago, six. Seven years ago told me. He's like, you know, he said, we're in the middle of an information war. We're in the middle of, you know, narratives, being thrown around, you know, whether it be through films or just through, you know, social media posts and podcasts. And he says, I need you to enlist, because I've given you a gift. And so I said, all right, yes, sir. And so I'm here to hopefully, all of the projects that we've worked on, all of the seven documentaries that we've done, have all been around topics that usually, other filmmakers will shy away from. we have dealt with our. With our share, of censoring. several of our social media accounts have been stricken down or taken down. Just advertising the film, you know, we're advertising, you know, swag for films. Oh, yeah. and, yeah, Facebook once took down our, swag from, ah, Facebook, just for the Trump. I know, because they said that it was, that we were Illegally selling animals and, alcohol. I had no idea that our sweatshirts. Yeah, I had no idea that our sweatshirts were, you know, made of live puppies and filled with wine. But thank, God Meta caught that. but I just laugh about it. But yeah, no, it's been an interesting battle, but we always tackle projects, whether it be election fraud or women, who support Trump, or, the weaponization of information within the government agencies, we tackle projects that other people shy away from.
Alex McFarland: Do you think this will be an ongoing battle? Because we've had things, the tech overlords have censored me literally dozens of times. Even when I've, you know, there was a Georgia congressman that died, that I put up something positive about. You know, as a conservative, registered Republican, born again Christian, you know, even something positive that I put up about a Georgia congressman who I knew to be a born again Christian got taken down. do you think the battle over free speech, on the tech platforms, is that battle going to always be around?
Matt Thayer: you know, it's just the battle space in which we're fighting now. You know what I mean? And if you look back in our history, we've always fought against different, battlefronts. The Revolutionary War, we always talk about the battles that were fought by George Washington, but look at the battles that were fought by Samuel Adams in the propaganda machine of just, you know, when I say propaganda, I don't necessarily mean it from a negative standpoint. It's just a tool. but just from what he was trying to put out, you know, in the presses, in Boston, you know, or, you know, the battles that Benjamin Franklin would fight, you know. Ah, so it's like we're always in, a war to just, you know, get the information out there. And the enemy that we fight against, you know, is not flesh and blood. Right. So he knows the power of information and he's going to do everything that he can to try and silence the voice of the church, which is the one that's actually bringing forth the truth.
Alex McFarland: Well, we're almost out of time for this segment, Matt. your documentary, can you hear me now? give us again the synopsis, the premise and where people can view it.
Matt Thayer: Yeah, yeah. So it's just, it's about modern day's prophecy and its relevance today. and, you know, kind of exploring it from an investigative journalist standpoint. It's the first documentary that I've actually narrated myself and actually kind of host and bring people through it, we did capture, one of the last interviews of Charlie Kirk. And you can find it, here at the end of this week on the 24th. Salemnow.com youm can pre order it right now. And if you pre order it, we gift you a free dvd, which is fantastic for sharing. and we're also providing, like a watch party discussion guide if you have a small group or something like that that you want to lead a discussion through. But SalemNow.com is where you can find it right now.
Alex McFarland: I've got to ask you this, Matthew, as you sat down with him, were you guys, where were you?
Matt Thayer: In Phoenix, Arizona, we actually at TPUSA headquarters, we were on one of the stages there. they were fantastic. Our experience with TPUSA was nothing but amazing. And their media department is just full of wonderful Bible believing Christians who are just, you know, in it to win the country back. And Charlie was amazing. We had about a 45 minute interview with him and he, was extraordinary. Probably the best interview that I've ever done. And I've actually interviewed the President of the United States in the White House. So, you know, that's saying a lot.
Alex McFarland: Yeah, sure, sure. How was his demeanor?
Matt Thayer: He was so excited to be home. He was so excited, you know, to be able to go home to his family that night. He was talking about that, you know, he was just, you know, he's been traveling a lot, you know, and he was just very upbeat and very, you know, just focused on, you know, what he was doing and the work that he was called to do.
Alex McFarland: Wonderful. Well, hey Matt, we got to pull away right now, but I want to say thank you very much for being with us on the Jenna Ellis in the morning show. And we look forward to seeing can you hear me now? Which premieres September 24th. And we look forward to when we can talk again.
Matt Thayer: Yeah, absolutely. Anytime, Alex. Just give me a call anytime.
Alex McFarland: Right on. God bless you, brother. God bless you. Well, folks, this is Alex McFarland, Jenna Ellis in the morning. You're listening to the American Family Radio Network. And in just a moment I'm going to cue up, a colleague, Joe Kerr White, house special media press corps. But first, I want to mention AFA Activate Kids. I mean there's so much that the American Family Radio Network is doing. Bert Harper And I, for 16 years we have done and continue to do exploring the word. And literally everywhere I go, I meet folks that have been touched by that Bible teaching. Program. But, AFA Activate Kids. Building a strong biblical worldview in our children. And Activate Kids. There are youth that teach foundational Judeo Christian truths and values in a fun, memorable way to help children understand and confidently live out their faith. And talking about production values, I mean, this is just excellent. And the website, if you go to activate.afa.net activate.afa as in American familyassociation.net check out activate Kids and we'll talk more about that as the show goes on. But, last week our president talked about the end of fake news. And, you know, we always want to know what's true. And I got to tell you, traveling around as I do, I think there's been a growing sentiment that, you know, we just aren't sure what we can trust, what we can believe. And I've got a friend that is just a great colleague. He's an author, he's a broadcaster. His name is Joseph Kerr, White House Special Media press corps. And, we spent some time together this past summer at the COVID in western North Carolina. I'm always amazed at the breadth of knowledge that this, brother carries about him. And he's with us now. Joe Kerr, are you there, sir?
Joseph Kerr: I am. It's good to talk to you again, Alex.
Alex McFarland: Good to talk to you. Thanks for making time to be with us on the Jenna Ellis program. hey, give us your bio for those that, before I barrage you with questions, Joe, give us your bio if you would.
Joseph Kerr: I am, a, member of the White House press corps. Those credentials go back to, President Trump's first term when he introduced something called special media. that is a group that was never represented before in the press corps, radio and, online media, in other words, where most of the conservative voices exist. I am primarily a ghostwriter, so I write a lot for other people, things like finishing books by famous authors. I've written for half a dozen, NewSong York Times best selling authors, also doing condensed work. So when somebody writes a great book and they get interviewed on that book, and they need 10 talking points, guys like me, and not just me, but guys like me who are ghostwriters compile those sort of things and help those folks to, you know, look great on paper as well as when they're speaking. And, so that's kind of what I do. I've been writing for, goodness, almost 30 years and, did some Christian radio, couple brief, things on Christian television. And mostly I'm a background guy. So if you go searching for me online, you're not going to find my name on anything. It's always somebody else's.
Alex McFarland: So, how detrimental is it, in your opinion, that growing, numbers of Americans? I wouldn't hazard a guess. I'm not going to say a majority of Americans, but a growing number just utterly feel like they cannot trust the news coverage.
Alex McFarland: how do you parse that out, Joe? What do you think about that?
Joseph Kerr: Well, I think that's certainly accurate, but you could find statements going back to the 1950s and 60s where, prominent satirists and other voices were talking about the media. Mark Twain talked about how untrustworthy the media was in his day. So that's not a new concept. is it worse now? I would say it's definitely more noticeable now simply because we have so much more access to it. Not only can we watch the nightly news, we can see it replayed in snippets on TikTok 5,000 times within 30 minutes of the program. So we have been inundated with more news coverage. but I think we're probably about as skeptical as we've always been.
Alex McFarland: Yeah. So let me give you a for example, Joe. and I'd love your response on this. about three weeks ago, I, for some reason, I don't know why I decided to go on CNN.com I'm not really a CNN watcher or reader, but I just went on CNN and there was an article about our 250th birthday. And it was not an especially complimentary article about America, you know, 250th. But here was in the opening paragraph, this sentence, about, and I'm quoting, it said the quote, long discredited view that America's founders, were Christian or were basing the country on biblical principles. Now, having taught political science for 20 plus years, having traveled with and spoken on the stage with people like David Barton and Bill Federer and Dr. Jerry Newcombe and Peter Lillback, not to mention our own in house scholars at AFA like Ed Vitagliano and Abe Hamilton iii. I happen to know that the founders did draw from the Bible, you know, biblical principles about human rights, about moral truth, accountability to God, you know, from the Federalist Papers to the writings of the founders, to the principles in the Declaration, Preamble, Constitution, bill of rights. 50 out of 50 state constitutions mention God. That's true. So Joe, when I read CNN saying, quote, the long discredited view that America was based on biblical principles, you know, I Just want to like, bang my head against the wall. And I think a lot of Americans feel like that. comment, please, if you would.
Joseph Kerr: Long discredited view. Well, keep in mind that most folks at CNN have an attention span about the size of a slug. So they, their idea of long discredited is completely different from mine. And, you are accurate in saying we have a biblical foundation for our government. even the other members of the signing, you know, founders of documents like the Declaration or the Constitution, even if they weren't ordained ministers, which 54 of them were, they still believed in a Christian worldview and based everything that they said and did on biblical principles. they quoted from or referenced in their discussions on the Congress floor, the book of Deuteronomy more than any other book, historical book or account that they referenced. And they referenced many people that we would recognize from history, from Aristotle to more modern thinkers in their time, but they still quoted the Bible more than anything else. So it's, it's a, just complete misrepresentation to suggest that we are not founded on Christian principles.
Alex McFarland: Indeed. Indeed. Hey, we've got to take a break. We're talking with Joe Kerr, White House special media press corps. We talk about China, Iran, and so much more. Alex McFarland here. Very honored to be sitting in for attorney broadcaster Jenna Ellis. The Jenna Ellis in the morning show on the American Family Radio Network. A brief break. More with correspondent Joe Kerr. Stay tuned. We're back after this.
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Alex McFarland: Welcome back to Jenna Ellis in the Morning on American Family Radio.
Alex McFarland: Welcome back to the program. Alex McFarland here. Very honored to be sitting in for Jenna this morning. Bert Harper and I will be on Exploring the word today at 3pm Central, 4pm Eastern and the time zone of your choice. We're wrapping up our study through the Gospel of Matthew. And you'll hear Dillon and I. I'm sorry, Bert Harper. And then periodically Dillon Burrows, who is our frequent co host on Exploring the Word as well. Hey, during the break you heard about Activate Kids building a strong biblical worldview. And I just want to say we, I give God the glory in 8 summer camps, 10 camps I participated in, but we did 8 our ministry and we had over 1200k teenagers that prayed to accept Christ this summer. And really, among the most prominent questions, like you heard in that commercial, the Bible, is it trustworthy? Are there contradictions? And by the way, no, there are not. But the Activate kids, unit one, the Bible 101. And you can go to activate.afa.net activate and it's now available. It's $40. You can order in time for Christmas. This is fantastic. World class production values. And what this is, it's apologetics. It's not apologizing, but it's giving the evidence why Christianity is true. In this case, the topic is the Bible. And trust me, working with thousands of kids over the last 30 years, many, many, many thousands of kids and over 1200 just this summer, establishing that the Bible is authoritative, trustworthy, relevant for each and every life. Very important topic. I'm thrilled that AFA Activate is dealing with this. And so please check out that curriculum that will give children a biblical foundation. Well, we're talking with Joseph Kerwhite, our special media press corps and first of all, Joe, thanks for making time to be with us this morning. And welcome back to the American Family Radio Network.
Joseph Kerr: It's a pleasure to be on with you. Alex, thank you so much for inviting me.
Alex McFarland: Well, thank you my friend. we've got the midterm elections coming up and gas and diesel fuel is, not cheap and groceries are expensive. and people are asking, I get this literally every weekend when I'm on the road. You know, why in the world are we at war with Iran? And what about China? And what about the rise of Islam here in America. there's a lot going on in your career. Have you ever seen so many just news stories that they're all incredibly consequential? is it our imagination or are things just getting more and more dire?
Joseph Kerr: Well, to take it from a purely biblical perspective, it shouldn't be surprising, should it? We know that what Jesus said himself in Matthew 24 was that there would be what we like to call a convergence where he compared it to birth pains. And anybody who's ever been in a, birthing room or had, children knows the sequence of that. The closer you get to a particular event, in that case the delivery of the baby, the closer together the birth pains are and the more intense they become. And that is true in the last days narrative as well. Regardless of where you're seeing it, whether people are amplifying the truth or amplifying lies, it's more concentrated, louder, and definitely at a pace we've never seen before.
Alex McFarland: What, do you feel like is, the accuracy level of the coverage we get regarding the White House? Because so many people, myself included, you know, I prayed for the 2024 election. I thank God that Donald Trump won, not Kamala Harris. a lot of us, we firmly believe the very future of our constitutional republic hangs in the balance. And so, being part of the White House special media press corps, what would you like the average American viewer to know about just, policy, messaging, you know, how stable is the news coming out of the White House by the time it reaches the eyes and ears of the average American listener?
Joseph Kerr: That's a great question, and I'm glad you asked it because it's an easy comparison. I've covered several different administrations, over the years from a third party perspective, but became part of the White House press corps during, ah, 47's 45, administration. So I was much closer to it then, sitting in on press briefings, and it was a much more intimate setting. but the comparison, numbers wise, is actually very easy to track. Trump has had more than double the press interactions that the previous administration has. easy. Any comparison, whether you're talking about total press exchanges, it's literally double over 495 total press exchanges. And that includes individual interviews, short Q and A sessions, the little blurbs that you see with the interactions on Air Force one and then 95 Oval Office Q&A sessions versus Biden had 27. So that's just in the first year. Trump is much more accessible, but what he calls access the liberal media calls chaos because you get to see everything that's happening. And you will, I can tell you this from sitting in those meetings personally, you will never have to guess what President Trump thinks because he tells you what he thinks. And some people don't like that. But we are living in, ah, a media landscape that isn't just divided, it's like living in parallel realities. And you see it on any major announcement, anything that breaks, you're going to get multiple versions of it.
Alex McFarland: Yeah, yeah. I mean, you know, think about this Biden, I mean he appeared to be so MIA throughout his presidency and you know, now, I mean it's just almost forgotten. And I don't say that with any malice or anything. And then Trump is just ubiquitous. I've met President Trump, I've heard him speak many times. You know, during the first administration when he had the faith board, I was on multiple, multiple phone calls with he and other faith leaders. And one thing I'll say about Donald Trump, I mean, like him or not, he's a straight shooter. I mean I feel like he is incredibly forthright. Whereas under Democrat administrations, especially with Biden, I mean everything was wordsmithed, managed, it was spin to the nth degree. I mean with Trump, speak to this if you would. I mean, you're right. You know where the guy stands.
Joseph Kerr: Well, that's absolutely true. Whether it's a federal, court ruling, a foreign policy crisis, or just the everyday political controversy of Washington D.C. the contrast is absolutely stark. And you always have very, very different opinions. What one side calls a national emergency, the other side, it's a footnote. it's just completely different views of what's happening and it's quite stark. but the good news is we have many news aggregation sources out there that people can access nowadays. Even some that will tell you here's what the left said, here's what the center said, here's what the right said and they will tell you what they deliberately didn't cover. So those sources are out there for people who want to follow them.
Alex McFarland: Are there any news sources you especially trust? Joker,
Joseph Kerr: I watch ground news, and they do a lot of the type of things I was talking about where they, they will give you the left leaning outlets version. Exactly. Here's verbatim what they said, CNN or places like that, they'll give you the right leaning outlets and what they said. they'll tell you what conservative outlets said and liberal outlets said and they give you, you know, like I said the areas that were uncovered, what they call it, they have what they call a blind spot feature where they'll tell you what the other side deliberately left out. And sometimes that's the most telling.
Alex McFarland: Joe, what, what are the most recent, news items that you're getting regarding the war in Iran and specifically ending the war in Iran over the weekend? Iran, they keep, even though they are getting just obliterated, but they give conditions for ending the war. what do you know about this? And I've got a follow up question related to the midterms, but, the latest, if you would, on ending the war in Iran.
Joseph Kerr: I think there is going to be some kind of end to the war in Iran. I think there is more going on behind the scenes. Just the, buzz that I hear, among the media and among other sources at the State Department and other places that I talk to. There is a lot brewing right now and they are waiting for timing to come together.
Alex McFarland: How do you think this, well, first of all, do you think the war will still be going on by the time the midterm elections arrive in 43 days?
Joseph Kerr: No, I do not think it will still be going on. I think everybody involved has a reason for that not to happen. the, more left leaning will frame that as a bad thing. And you can be sure even if the war is completely over and nothing is happening, that will be framed as something negative.
Alex McFarland: You know, I just want to say, just FYI, in the last month I've interviewed three people that have escaped from Iran and the human rights abuses. Besides the nuclear issue, the, decades of death to America, death to Israel rhetoric, the incredible, the abuse of women, the human rights issues. had we not gone to war with Iran, I really do believe the left would have vilified Trump for not having gone to war. So, it is very justified. the world, will emerge a safer place, with Iran and their nuclear capabilities neutralized. But Joe, how do you think just the existence of this war is going to impact the midterms?
Joseph Kerr: I think it is going to be a topic that people talk about. I don't think there's any question about that. I can tell you from, some news that I saw from an Israeli source that the IRGC's own system was hacked over the weekend. And the statistics are actually far more staggering than people want to believe. They document themselves that over 100,000 of their own people who were protesting were killed. So, yeah, anything that you've seen in the media was not even close to the actual number. and yes, to your point, anybody who questions anything that's happening over there needs to remember that one simple fact. Every time they chanted death to Israel, they also chanted death to America. So this has been personal for a long time.
Alex McFarland: get this, folks. And I have this authoritatively from people that have escaped Iran. Children to go to school, to get an education. elementary age school children every morning have to recite death to America, Death to Israel. Children in Iran that will not say that are not allowed to get an education. Isn't that brainwashing programming in just the most egregious way? Joe, I've got to ask you this. down in Texas, everybody's talking about, the, man who was raised heresy to a new level. James Talarico, says he has a narrow edge. Would you care to make any prediction about the outcome of that election?
Joseph Kerr: Oh, please, Texas, please, please, please come to your senses, M and vote this down. there is nothing more dangerous than a creature that says it doesn't have spots that everybody knows it has.
Alex McFarland: Powerful, powerful. you know, three times I was supposed to be on Fox News national with James Talarico, and three times he, backed out. And so, you know, James 3, verse 1 says, be not many masters, for you'll be judged more harshly. And I said in one of my Fox News interviews where he wasn't present, that he was supposed to be, I said, young man, I'm concerned for your soul. Just making unspeakably blasphemous statements about God, what Christianity is, transgenderism, abortion. listen, we need to pray for Talarico on two fronts. One that he loses and the other is that he gets saved. Because in the quest for political power, he is heaping condemnation on himself. Joe, we're almost out of time, but, just the midterms. I'm calling on people to please, please pray. I mean, it is imperative, it really is that the houses of Congress not fall into the hands of woke pro Islamic, Marxist globalist, Democrats. Folks, I plead pray for this nation. Be informed, get out and vote. Influence others. Joe, any final word or a homework assignment for us? White House Special Media Press The Core, Joseph Kerr. A final word, my friend.
Joseph Kerr: Understand that regardless of how bad it looks, all of this was prophesied. Jeremiah wrote that truth has perished. Isaiah said that truth has fallen in the streets. And Hosea said there is no truth, no loving devotion, and no knowledge of God in the land. We shouldn't be surprised when the left leaning media leans left. But understand that God is in control.
Alex McFarland: God is in control indeed. Folks. Thanks for listening. Thanks to Devon Patrick and I thank Jenna for letting me sit in this morning. God bless you all. Hey, tell somebody about afa, but tell everybody about Jesus. Every blessing.
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Jenna Ellis: I love talking about the things of God. Because of truth and the biblical worldview. The U.S. constitution obligates our government to preserve and protect the rights that our founders recognize come from God, our Creator, not our government. I believe that scripture in the Bible is very clear that God is the one that raised up each of you, and God has allowed us to be brought here to this specific moment in time.
Radio Announcer: Now here's guest host Alex McFarland.
Alex McFarland: He who dwells in the shelter of the most high will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust. That's Psalm, 911 2. And with that verse from God's Word, I welcome you this morning to Jenna Ellis, the Jenna Ellis in the Morning Show. My name is Alex McFarland. What a great honor to sit in for Jenna, if you recognize my voice or my name, it might be from a show called Exploring the Word, which we have the great privilege of doing every, afternoon at 3p central, 4pm eastern, and, all across America. And so it's a great day. We have what I think is a pretty exciting show. Later on in the show, we're going to visit with Joseph Kerr of the White House Press The Core. And among the questions that I want to ask Joe Kerr is, what about the news? Should the average American viewer know that? Maybe they don't know. I mean, there's so much going on. The war in Iran and then the rise of China and the, the question of dominance for not only things like AI, but intel, military preparedness, China and their, fraternizing with Russia versus America, and, so many things. And we'll ask Joe Kerr of the White House Press The Core later on in the program. But right now I've got a colleague and friend that I want you to meet who's making a documentary. well, the documentary releases this week, actually September 24, called can youn Hear Me Now? And Matt Thayer, got what I'm pretty sure is the last on camera interview with Charlie Kirk. Now, some of you may remember we do a speaker series called Conversations that matter, Biblical worldview. Even before I was doing Exploring the Word, and we've done that show for 16 years on the American Family Radio Network. I was traveling the country and still am organiz apologetics and Biblical Worldview conferences. And we've done conferences in about 51American cities. Praise God. but we, did an event in the end of summer, early fall of 25, with Charlie Kirk, as many of you may remember. And we had about 3,000 people come from 17 US states. And we've talked about it many times on air. I won't rehash all that. Now, Charlie came and, it was a great event. he spoke, he did Q and A. The thing that was a little unsettling about it was Charlie had said to me backstage, and then he said it on stage. He said, if somebody kills me, we can't be silent. and backstage, Charlie Kirk had been saying that he felt like his life was in danger. And we prayed together, a number of times. And I had said to Charlie Kirk, you know, God, we've got to pray for your safety. And Charlie looked at me and he said, I don't think I'm going to die of old age. Two weeks later, two weeks later, on that fateful day that the entire world knows about in Utah, Charlie was, tragically assassinated. Well, Matthew Thayer is a filmmaker, a talented, Christian filmmaker. And that like the. I think it was exactly the day after Charlie Kirk spoke for my conference in, South Carolina. Charlie, Kirk and Matt Thayer sat down in front of the cameras for, for a filmed interview that of course, would, as far as we know, be the last on camera interview he would do. Matt Thayer is with us and his documentary releases September 24th. It's called can you hear me now? It's not only about Charlie, but really about the authority of God's word and talking about listening, to not only the word of God, but, the church of God, because, if ever a generation needed the gospel and the biblical worldview, it is this generation. But he's made time to be with us now. Matt, are you there? Alex, good morning. Good morning. Thank you. I've got to ask, what time zone are you in, Matt?
Matt Thayer: Central.
Alex McFarland: Central. Oh, well, it's not so bad. Yeah, it's time to be up and about.
Matt Thayer: Yeah, I got my coffee.
Alex McFarland: There you go. That's why the good Lord invented coffee. Yeah. we almost Had a guest from Hawaii this morning, but that would have been about 3:00am So I, I gave him a pass. But it's great to have you on, Matt. And, you know, a few days ago, you and I were in a conference in Colorado. You and I were on stage doing kind of a Q and A, and we got a lot of really great feedback about that. before we get into the documentary. Can you hear me now? just give people kind of a snapshot about the work that, you and your wife do and your filmmaking.
Matt Thayer: Yeah, yeah. So for the past few years, we've been primarily doing documentaries. we are also doing, you know, a lot of scripted stuff. And I've had a lot of experience over the last 20 years doing a lot of commercial projects and short films and things like that. but some of the documentaries that people might know that I've done, the Trump I know we did in 2020, where we interviewed a lot of mostly women around Trump, ah, getting inside track of who he is as a person. and that's available on amaz. and then also done some other documentaries, and done actually seven documentaries in the last six years, which is kind of a pretty heavy pace. but, some of them, the Enemy within, we did, talking about the weaponization of government. That's, a series on Amazon. And then we also, additionally, also the day after this documentary that you're talking about releases, the story of Nick Vujicic, who's a motivational speaker evangelist. his life story, which I also directed, is going to be coming out in theaters. so, yeah, it's been kind of a busy few months for us.
Alex McFarland: Yeah. And we, At nrb, back in February, we interviewed Nick and, hey, say a word about that, because that's quite an inspiring story. he was born without legs, and yet is an incredible evangelist for the gospel. And, How did you get into that project, Matt?
Matt Thayer: Yeah, he has no arms and legs. I mean, it's crazy. I keep telling him that, you know, he needs to, be the black knight from Monty Python for Halloween. You know what I mean? Because he'd be perfect. You know, it's only a flesh wound. but anyway.
Alex McFarland: Yeah, I remember that reference.
Matt Thayer: Yeah, but anyway. But he, Yeah, he's just an extraordinary human being and, we really love that story because, you know, he was born that way. And that's what's so remarkable about him, is that he didn't lose his limbs in some sort of military combat Thing or something like that and have to get used to it. I mean, he was born that way. And so with that, you know, you can imagine, you know, a lot of bullying happened, as he was growing up. He dealt with suicide issues, things like that. But then, of course, now, I mean, you know, 43 years later, he's, you know, probably touched about, you know, probably about a billion people, that they count with his message of, hope and inspiration and, you know, just basically anything's possible. And, so it's a really inspiring story, and we really were touched by it because we raised a disabled son, for almost 21 years. He passed, in 2019 due to complications of his syndrome. But, you know, my wife raised him. He was my stepson. Came into his life when he was about seven, and just took him on. And, you know, what I challenge people, especially in kind of like the pro life movement, is that there's a lot of, you know, especially now, you know, in Canada with the, you know, assisted suicide stuff and everything else in euthanasia and, even after birth abortions, you know, really challenging people that. Because one of the things about Nick's story was that his mom just championed him, despite some of her misgivings when he was born, just going like, oh, Lord, what happened? But she became a different person. She became somebody who raised a world changer despite his disabilities. And that's one of the things that I challenge people, is that when we reduce human life to something that's an inconvenience, we actually, withhold from the world who we can become in raising these world changers, you know, and so we need to really take a hard look at, you know, the sanctity of human life, regardless of how it shows up and what package it's wrapped in
Alex McFarland: it, you know, Matt, I became a Christian when I was in college, and the church that I, found Christ through, Macedonia Baptist Church, near Greensboro, North Carolina. at the time that I became a believer, there was about a, two or three year old little boy born without arms. And many listeners will know him. His name is Daniel Ritchie. Daniel has become quite an evangelist. But, you know, growing up, he just was, the little boy in the neighborhood with no arms. And yet Daniel, much like Nick Vojovic, has become this champion for life, that the quality of life is not measured by, how ambulatory we may or may not be or how convenient things may or may not be. Daniel, I have ridden in the car with him driving. He drives with his feet. I've ridden with him. He was in my first book, ah, Stand. And he's now a world traveling evangelist. But, it's the biblical worldview that life is sacred in every context. And I think that's a message this generation needs to hear.
Matt Thayer: So if anybody wants to go and see it, it's going to be in theaters. there's going to be 600 theaters. They're opening up this weekend on the 25th. and we're encouraging everybody to go see it in the theaters because if 65% of the theaters can be filled, they're going to, you know, expand the release hopefully into the next coming weeks in October. And so we were just really encouraging everybody to go see it and take your kids. one of the things that's been remarkable about that one and the test screenings is how many young people, you know, early, you know, late teens coming up to us and saying how inspiring his story is to them. And I just, I kind of just really love that that demographic is really latching onto this story.
Alex McFarland: Amen. Amen. the website let me give this speropictures.com and that's spelled S P E R O pictures.com to learn about what Matt Thayer and his team are doing. So tell me a little bit and we'll have to come back after the break. Can you hear me now? Which features your. I really would, I don't think I'm overstating it. Historic film footage of Charlie Kirk and more. But what's the premise of can you hear me now Matt?
Matt Thayer: Well, the purpose of can you hear me now? Is really talking about modern day prophecy and really taking a different look at it, you know, through a different lens. You know, there's two camp that doesn't exist today or people that just kind of accepted wholesale. And you know, I've tried to take an investigative approach to it and also how it cossacks with, you know, our American politics. Because, you know, if God is king, if Jesus is king, then you know, he wants, you know, good societies, he wants good nations. And we have a really remarkable one here. And so we reached out to Charlie, in this documentary to talk about the separation of church and state and Christian nationalism. All the things that he was so eloquent at, exposing and talking about. And so we sat down with him two weeks prior to his death, which was just kind of a crazy thing. And it really kind of altered the way that we were approaching the documentary. But like you said, I think this is probably the last unseen interview, with Charlie Kirk. And he had some really surprising things to say. Not only about the things that we actually interviewed him for, but also about prophecy and the nature of prophecy and how we should approach it.
Alex McFarland: and where may people see can you Hear Me Now?
Matt Thayer: So it's gonna be released this Thursday, on Salem now, SalemNow.com you go to SalemNow.com right now and pre order it. If you pre order it, you get a free dvd. we also are creating a discussion guide for anybody that wants to do a watch party. and you know, so SalemNow.com is where you can go to find it and pre order it right now. And then in four weeks, you know, we'll be releasing it, sometime in late October. October, we'll be releasing it wider on Amazon, Apple and Google and all of those places.
Alex McFarland: Matt, do you see your, your skill as a filmmaker? And I've looked at so much of your stuff. I mean it really is creative, really world class, aesthetics. And we'll probably have to pick this up after this brief break, but do you see your, your filmmaking as part of your service to Jesus and contributions to the gospel? I'm sure you do. we've got to take a break. I didn't realize we were so much up on this break. Give us your website, Matt, and we're going to come back and Talk further
Matt Thayer: at spiropictures.com, s p e r o
Alex McFarland: pictures.com Alex McFarland here sitting in for Jenna Ellis. Jenna Ellis in the Morning on the American Family Radio Network. Thanks for listening. A brief break and more after this. Stay tuned.
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Alex McFarland: Welcome back to the program. Alex McFarland here we're talking with documentary filmmaker Matt Thayer, who is, ah, not only a colleague in the Gospel, but has become a friend. And September 24th, can you hear me now? Which includes, we believe, I think pretty historic footage of Charlie Kirk just days before he was sadly killed. But Matt, by the way, welcome back thank you for being with us on the American Family Radio Network.
Matt Thayer: Absolutely. Absolutely.
Alex McFarland: And, you know, before the break, I was going to kind of queue up this question. serving Christ by creating excellent digital content. I think you're an evangelist, really, and, you do that with, cameras and content. tell me how your biblical worldview factors in to what you create.
Matt Thayer: Yeah, absolutely. so, you know, I'm a filmmaker that's a Christian, and I think that there needs to be more of that. I think that, you know, Christian, films is kind of a weird term, because, you know, a film can't be saved. But, the people that are making that can bring their worldview into what they make. And so everything that we do usually has some sort of touch point, with faith, but we strive to make it organically a part of the story. and, years ago, the Lord called me into media, into storytelling, and really trying to approach it from that standpoint of just being like, I'm just interested in any good story. and I usually always find some sort of glimmer of the gospel in it. But also, when it comes to documentaries, it was not something that I really set out to want to do. Documentaries 20 years ago was kind of a nerdy thing. It was just like, you know, people would be like, oh, yeah, I have a brother who's into documentaries, but now everybody loves documentaries. but I always wanted to make TV shows and movies. But I felt like the Lord about, you know, seven years ago, six. Seven years ago told me. He's like, you know, he said, we're in the middle of an information war. We're in the middle of, you know, narratives, being thrown around, you know, whether it be through films or just through, you know, social media posts and podcasts. And he says, I need you to enlist, because I've given you a gift. And so I said, all right, yes, sir. And so I'm here to hopefully, all of the projects that we've worked on, all of the seven documentaries that we've done, have all been around topics that usually, other filmmakers will shy away from. we have dealt with our. With our share, of censoring. several of our social media accounts have been stricken down or taken down. Just advertising the film, you know, we're advertising, you know, swag for films. Oh, yeah. and, yeah, Facebook once took down our, swag from, ah, Facebook, just for the Trump. I know, because they said that it was, that we were Illegally selling animals and, alcohol. I had no idea that our sweatshirts. Yeah, I had no idea that our sweatshirts were, you know, made of live puppies and filled with wine. But thank, God Meta caught that. but I just laugh about it. But yeah, no, it's been an interesting battle, but we always tackle projects, whether it be election fraud or women, who support Trump, or, the weaponization of information within the government agencies, we tackle projects that other people shy away from.
Alex McFarland: Do you think this will be an ongoing battle? Because we've had things, the tech overlords have censored me literally dozens of times. Even when I've, you know, there was a Georgia congressman that died, that I put up something positive about. You know, as a conservative, registered Republican, born again Christian, you know, even something positive that I put up about a Georgia congressman who I knew to be a born again Christian got taken down. do you think the battle over free speech, on the tech platforms, is that battle going to always be around?
Matt Thayer: you know, it's just the battle space in which we're fighting now. You know what I mean? And if you look back in our history, we've always fought against different, battlefronts. The Revolutionary War, we always talk about the battles that were fought by George Washington, but look at the battles that were fought by Samuel Adams in the propaganda machine of just, you know, when I say propaganda, I don't necessarily mean it from a negative standpoint. It's just a tool. but just from what he was trying to put out, you know, in the presses, in Boston, you know, or, you know, the battles that Benjamin Franklin would fight, you know. Ah, so it's like we're always in, a war to just, you know, get the information out there. And the enemy that we fight against, you know, is not flesh and blood. Right. So he knows the power of information and he's going to do everything that he can to try and silence the voice of the church, which is the one that's actually bringing forth the truth.
Alex McFarland: Well, we're almost out of time for this segment, Matt. your documentary, can you hear me now? give us again the synopsis, the premise and where people can view it.
Matt Thayer: Yeah, yeah. So it's just, it's about modern day's prophecy and its relevance today. and, you know, kind of exploring it from an investigative journalist standpoint. It's the first documentary that I've actually narrated myself and actually kind of host and bring people through it, we did capture, one of the last interviews of Charlie Kirk. And you can find it, here at the end of this week on the 24th. Salemnow.com youm can pre order it right now. And if you pre order it, we gift you a free dvd, which is fantastic for sharing. and we're also providing, like a watch party discussion guide if you have a small group or something like that that you want to lead a discussion through. But SalemNow.com is where you can find it right now.
Alex McFarland: I've got to ask you this, Matthew, as you sat down with him, were you guys, where were you?
Matt Thayer: In Phoenix, Arizona, we actually at TPUSA headquarters, we were on one of the stages there. they were fantastic. Our experience with TPUSA was nothing but amazing. And their media department is just full of wonderful Bible believing Christians who are just, you know, in it to win the country back. And Charlie was amazing. We had about a 45 minute interview with him and he, was extraordinary. Probably the best interview that I've ever done. And I've actually interviewed the President of the United States in the White House. So, you know, that's saying a lot.
Alex McFarland: Yeah, sure, sure. How was his demeanor?
Matt Thayer: He was so excited to be home. He was so excited, you know, to be able to go home to his family that night. He was talking about that, you know, he was just, you know, he's been traveling a lot, you know, and he was just very upbeat and very, you know, just focused on, you know, what he was doing and the work that he was called to do.
Alex McFarland: Wonderful. Well, hey Matt, we got to pull away right now, but I want to say thank you very much for being with us on the Jenna Ellis in the morning show. And we look forward to seeing can you hear me now? Which premieres September 24th. And we look forward to when we can talk again.
Matt Thayer: Yeah, absolutely. Anytime, Alex. Just give me a call anytime.
Alex McFarland: Right on. God bless you, brother. God bless you. Well, folks, this is Alex McFarland, Jenna Ellis in the morning. You're listening to the American Family Radio Network. And in just a moment I'm going to cue up, a colleague, Joe Kerr White, house special media press corps. But first, I want to mention AFA Activate Kids. I mean there's so much that the American Family Radio Network is doing. Bert Harper And I, for 16 years we have done and continue to do exploring the word. And literally everywhere I go, I meet folks that have been touched by that Bible teaching. Program. But, AFA Activate Kids. Building a strong biblical worldview in our children. And Activate Kids. There are youth that teach foundational Judeo Christian truths and values in a fun, memorable way to help children understand and confidently live out their faith. And talking about production values, I mean, this is just excellent. And the website, if you go to activate.afa.net activate.afa as in American familyassociation.net check out activate Kids and we'll talk more about that as the show goes on. But, last week our president talked about the end of fake news. And, you know, we always want to know what's true. And I got to tell you, traveling around as I do, I think there's been a growing sentiment that, you know, we just aren't sure what we can trust, what we can believe. And I've got a friend that is just a great colleague. He's an author, he's a broadcaster. His name is Joseph Kerr, White House Special Media press corps. And, we spent some time together this past summer at the COVID in western North Carolina. I'm always amazed at the breadth of knowledge that this, brother carries about him. And he's with us now. Joe Kerr, are you there, sir?
Joseph Kerr: I am. It's good to talk to you again, Alex.
Alex McFarland: Good to talk to you. Thanks for making time to be with us on the Jenna Ellis program. hey, give us your bio for those that, before I barrage you with questions, Joe, give us your bio if you would.
Joseph Kerr: I am, a, member of the White House press corps. Those credentials go back to, President Trump's first term when he introduced something called special media. that is a group that was never represented before in the press corps, radio and, online media, in other words, where most of the conservative voices exist. I am primarily a ghostwriter, so I write a lot for other people, things like finishing books by famous authors. I've written for half a dozen, NewSong York Times best selling authors, also doing condensed work. So when somebody writes a great book and they get interviewed on that book, and they need 10 talking points, guys like me, and not just me, but guys like me who are ghostwriters compile those sort of things and help those folks to, you know, look great on paper as well as when they're speaking. And, so that's kind of what I do. I've been writing for, goodness, almost 30 years and, did some Christian radio, couple brief, things on Christian television. And mostly I'm a background guy. So if you go searching for me online, you're not going to find my name on anything. It's always somebody else's.
Alex McFarland: So, how detrimental is it, in your opinion, that growing, numbers of Americans? I wouldn't hazard a guess. I'm not going to say a majority of Americans, but a growing number just utterly feel like they cannot trust the news coverage.
Alex McFarland: how do you parse that out, Joe? What do you think about that?
Joseph Kerr: Well, I think that's certainly accurate, but you could find statements going back to the 1950s and 60s where, prominent satirists and other voices were talking about the media. Mark Twain talked about how untrustworthy the media was in his day. So that's not a new concept. is it worse now? I would say it's definitely more noticeable now simply because we have so much more access to it. Not only can we watch the nightly news, we can see it replayed in snippets on TikTok 5,000 times within 30 minutes of the program. So we have been inundated with more news coverage. but I think we're probably about as skeptical as we've always been.
Alex McFarland: Yeah. So let me give you a for example, Joe. and I'd love your response on this. about three weeks ago, I, for some reason, I don't know why I decided to go on CNN.com I'm not really a CNN watcher or reader, but I just went on CNN and there was an article about our 250th birthday. And it was not an especially complimentary article about America, you know, 250th. But here was in the opening paragraph, this sentence, about, and I'm quoting, it said the quote, long discredited view that America's founders, were Christian or were basing the country on biblical principles. Now, having taught political science for 20 plus years, having traveled with and spoken on the stage with people like David Barton and Bill Federer and Dr. Jerry Newcombe and Peter Lillback, not to mention our own in house scholars at AFA like Ed Vitagliano and Abe Hamilton iii. I happen to know that the founders did draw from the Bible, you know, biblical principles about human rights, about moral truth, accountability to God, you know, from the Federalist Papers to the writings of the founders, to the principles in the Declaration, Preamble, Constitution, bill of rights. 50 out of 50 state constitutions mention God. That's true. So Joe, when I read CNN saying, quote, the long discredited view that America was based on biblical principles, you know, I Just want to like, bang my head against the wall. And I think a lot of Americans feel like that. comment, please, if you would.
Joseph Kerr: Long discredited view. Well, keep in mind that most folks at CNN have an attention span about the size of a slug. So they, their idea of long discredited is completely different from mine. And, you are accurate in saying we have a biblical foundation for our government. even the other members of the signing, you know, founders of documents like the Declaration or the Constitution, even if they weren't ordained ministers, which 54 of them were, they still believed in a Christian worldview and based everything that they said and did on biblical principles. they quoted from or referenced in their discussions on the Congress floor, the book of Deuteronomy more than any other book, historical book or account that they referenced. And they referenced many people that we would recognize from history, from Aristotle to more modern thinkers in their time, but they still quoted the Bible more than anything else. So it's, it's a, just complete misrepresentation to suggest that we are not founded on Christian principles.
Alex McFarland: Indeed. Indeed. Hey, we've got to take a break. We're talking with Joe Kerr, White House special media press corps. We talk about China, Iran, and so much more. Alex McFarland here. Very honored to be sitting in for attorney broadcaster Jenna Ellis. The Jenna Ellis in the morning show on the American Family Radio Network. A brief break. More with correspondent Joe Kerr. Stay tuned. We're back after this.
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Alex McFarland: Welcome back to Jenna Ellis in the Morning on American Family Radio.
Alex McFarland: Welcome back to the program. Alex McFarland here. Very honored to be sitting in for Jenna this morning. Bert Harper and I will be on Exploring the word today at 3pm Central, 4pm Eastern and the time zone of your choice. We're wrapping up our study through the Gospel of Matthew. And you'll hear Dillon and I. I'm sorry, Bert Harper. And then periodically Dillon Burrows, who is our frequent co host on Exploring the Word as well. Hey, during the break you heard about Activate Kids building a strong biblical worldview. And I just want to say we, I give God the glory in 8 summer camps, 10 camps I participated in, but we did 8 our ministry and we had over 1200k teenagers that prayed to accept Christ this summer. And really, among the most prominent questions, like you heard in that commercial, the Bible, is it trustworthy? Are there contradictions? And by the way, no, there are not. But the Activate kids, unit one, the Bible 101. And you can go to activate.afa.net activate and it's now available. It's $40. You can order in time for Christmas. This is fantastic. World class production values. And what this is, it's apologetics. It's not apologizing, but it's giving the evidence why Christianity is true. In this case, the topic is the Bible. And trust me, working with thousands of kids over the last 30 years, many, many, many thousands of kids and over 1200 just this summer, establishing that the Bible is authoritative, trustworthy, relevant for each and every life. Very important topic. I'm thrilled that AFA Activate is dealing with this. And so please check out that curriculum that will give children a biblical foundation. Well, we're talking with Joseph Kerwhite, our special media press corps and first of all, Joe, thanks for making time to be with us this morning. And welcome back to the American Family Radio Network.
Joseph Kerr: It's a pleasure to be on with you. Alex, thank you so much for inviting me.
Alex McFarland: Well, thank you my friend. we've got the midterm elections coming up and gas and diesel fuel is, not cheap and groceries are expensive. and people are asking, I get this literally every weekend when I'm on the road. You know, why in the world are we at war with Iran? And what about China? And what about the rise of Islam here in America. there's a lot going on in your career. Have you ever seen so many just news stories that they're all incredibly consequential? is it our imagination or are things just getting more and more dire?
Joseph Kerr: Well, to take it from a purely biblical perspective, it shouldn't be surprising, should it? We know that what Jesus said himself in Matthew 24 was that there would be what we like to call a convergence where he compared it to birth pains. And anybody who's ever been in a, birthing room or had, children knows the sequence of that. The closer you get to a particular event, in that case the delivery of the baby, the closer together the birth pains are and the more intense they become. And that is true in the last days narrative as well. Regardless of where you're seeing it, whether people are amplifying the truth or amplifying lies, it's more concentrated, louder, and definitely at a pace we've never seen before.
Alex McFarland: What, do you feel like is, the accuracy level of the coverage we get regarding the White House? Because so many people, myself included, you know, I prayed for the 2024 election. I thank God that Donald Trump won, not Kamala Harris. a lot of us, we firmly believe the very future of our constitutional republic hangs in the balance. And so, being part of the White House special media press corps, what would you like the average American viewer to know about just, policy, messaging, you know, how stable is the news coming out of the White House by the time it reaches the eyes and ears of the average American listener?
Joseph Kerr: That's a great question, and I'm glad you asked it because it's an easy comparison. I've covered several different administrations, over the years from a third party perspective, but became part of the White House press corps during, ah, 47's 45, administration. So I was much closer to it then, sitting in on press briefings, and it was a much more intimate setting. but the comparison, numbers wise, is actually very easy to track. Trump has had more than double the press interactions that the previous administration has. easy. Any comparison, whether you're talking about total press exchanges, it's literally double over 495 total press exchanges. And that includes individual interviews, short Q and A sessions, the little blurbs that you see with the interactions on Air Force one and then 95 Oval Office Q&A sessions versus Biden had 27. So that's just in the first year. Trump is much more accessible, but what he calls access the liberal media calls chaos because you get to see everything that's happening. And you will, I can tell you this from sitting in those meetings personally, you will never have to guess what President Trump thinks because he tells you what he thinks. And some people don't like that. But we are living in, ah, a media landscape that isn't just divided, it's like living in parallel realities. And you see it on any major announcement, anything that breaks, you're going to get multiple versions of it.
Alex McFarland: Yeah, yeah. I mean, you know, think about this Biden, I mean he appeared to be so MIA throughout his presidency and you know, now, I mean it's just almost forgotten. And I don't say that with any malice or anything. And then Trump is just ubiquitous. I've met President Trump, I've heard him speak many times. You know, during the first administration when he had the faith board, I was on multiple, multiple phone calls with he and other faith leaders. And one thing I'll say about Donald Trump, I mean, like him or not, he's a straight shooter. I mean I feel like he is incredibly forthright. Whereas under Democrat administrations, especially with Biden, I mean everything was wordsmithed, managed, it was spin to the nth degree. I mean with Trump, speak to this if you would. I mean, you're right. You know where the guy stands.
Joseph Kerr: Well, that's absolutely true. Whether it's a federal, court ruling, a foreign policy crisis, or just the everyday political controversy of Washington D.C. the contrast is absolutely stark. And you always have very, very different opinions. What one side calls a national emergency, the other side, it's a footnote. it's just completely different views of what's happening and it's quite stark. but the good news is we have many news aggregation sources out there that people can access nowadays. Even some that will tell you here's what the left said, here's what the center said, here's what the right said and they will tell you what they deliberately didn't cover. So those sources are out there for people who want to follow them.
Alex McFarland: Are there any news sources you especially trust? Joker,
Joseph Kerr: I watch ground news, and they do a lot of the type of things I was talking about where they, they will give you the left leaning outlets version. Exactly. Here's verbatim what they said, CNN or places like that, they'll give you the right leaning outlets and what they said. they'll tell you what conservative outlets said and liberal outlets said and they give you, you know, like I said the areas that were uncovered, what they call it, they have what they call a blind spot feature where they'll tell you what the other side deliberately left out. And sometimes that's the most telling.
Alex McFarland: Joe, what, what are the most recent, news items that you're getting regarding the war in Iran and specifically ending the war in Iran over the weekend? Iran, they keep, even though they are getting just obliterated, but they give conditions for ending the war. what do you know about this? And I've got a follow up question related to the midterms, but, the latest, if you would, on ending the war in Iran.
Joseph Kerr: I think there is going to be some kind of end to the war in Iran. I think there is more going on behind the scenes. Just the, buzz that I hear, among the media and among other sources at the State Department and other places that I talk to. There is a lot brewing right now and they are waiting for timing to come together.
Alex McFarland: How do you think this, well, first of all, do you think the war will still be going on by the time the midterm elections arrive in 43 days?
Joseph Kerr: No, I do not think it will still be going on. I think everybody involved has a reason for that not to happen. the, more left leaning will frame that as a bad thing. And you can be sure even if the war is completely over and nothing is happening, that will be framed as something negative.
Alex McFarland: You know, I just want to say, just FYI, in the last month I've interviewed three people that have escaped from Iran and the human rights abuses. Besides the nuclear issue, the, decades of death to America, death to Israel rhetoric, the incredible, the abuse of women, the human rights issues. had we not gone to war with Iran, I really do believe the left would have vilified Trump for not having gone to war. So, it is very justified. the world, will emerge a safer place, with Iran and their nuclear capabilities neutralized. But Joe, how do you think just the existence of this war is going to impact the midterms?
Joseph Kerr: I think it is going to be a topic that people talk about. I don't think there's any question about that. I can tell you from, some news that I saw from an Israeli source that the IRGC's own system was hacked over the weekend. And the statistics are actually far more staggering than people want to believe. They document themselves that over 100,000 of their own people who were protesting were killed. So, yeah, anything that you've seen in the media was not even close to the actual number. and yes, to your point, anybody who questions anything that's happening over there needs to remember that one simple fact. Every time they chanted death to Israel, they also chanted death to America. So this has been personal for a long time.
Alex McFarland: get this, folks. And I have this authoritatively from people that have escaped Iran. Children to go to school, to get an education. elementary age school children every morning have to recite death to America, Death to Israel. Children in Iran that will not say that are not allowed to get an education. Isn't that brainwashing programming in just the most egregious way? Joe, I've got to ask you this. down in Texas, everybody's talking about, the, man who was raised heresy to a new level. James Talarico, says he has a narrow edge. Would you care to make any prediction about the outcome of that election?
Joseph Kerr: Oh, please, Texas, please, please, please come to your senses, M and vote this down. there is nothing more dangerous than a creature that says it doesn't have spots that everybody knows it has.
Alex McFarland: Powerful, powerful. you know, three times I was supposed to be on Fox News national with James Talarico, and three times he, backed out. And so, you know, James 3, verse 1 says, be not many masters, for you'll be judged more harshly. And I said in one of my Fox News interviews where he wasn't present, that he was supposed to be, I said, young man, I'm concerned for your soul. Just making unspeakably blasphemous statements about God, what Christianity is, transgenderism, abortion. listen, we need to pray for Talarico on two fronts. One that he loses and the other is that he gets saved. Because in the quest for political power, he is heaping condemnation on himself. Joe, we're almost out of time, but, just the midterms. I'm calling on people to please, please pray. I mean, it is imperative, it really is that the houses of Congress not fall into the hands of woke pro Islamic, Marxist globalist, Democrats. Folks, I plead pray for this nation. Be informed, get out and vote. Influence others. Joe, any final word or a homework assignment for us? White House Special Media Press The Core, Joseph Kerr. A final word, my friend.
Joseph Kerr: Understand that regardless of how bad it looks, all of this was prophesied. Jeremiah wrote that truth has perished. Isaiah said that truth has fallen in the streets. And Hosea said there is no truth, no loving devotion, and no knowledge of God in the land. We shouldn't be surprised when the left leaning media leans left. But understand that God is in control.
Alex McFarland: God is in control indeed. Folks. Thanks for listening. Thanks to Devon Patrick and I thank Jenna for letting me sit in this morning. God bless you all. Hey, tell somebody about afa, but tell everybody about Jesus. Every blessing.
Jenna Ellis: Preborn has rescued over 400,000 babies from abortion and every day their network clinics rescue 200 babies left lives. Will you join PreBorn in loving and supporting young moms in crisis? Save a life today. Go to preborn.com afr.
In this episode, join guest host Alex McFarland as he takes the reins of the Jenna Ellis in the Morning show. Alex dives into a discussion with filmmaker Matt Thayer about his upcoming documentary, "Can You Hear Me Now?" which features the last on-camera interview with Charlie Kirk before his untimely death. The conversation touches on important topics such as the sanctity of life, the power of biblical principles in shaping society, and the relevance of modern-day prophecy. Don't miss this enlightening episode filled with insights on faith, politics, and the impact of storytelling. Also joining the program is Joseph Kerr, White House special media correspondent, to discuss what American's need to know about the news.
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